Boston Police Chief Is Stepping Down

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis talks with reporters during the hunt for the Boston Marathon bombers in April.

Michael Reynolds
/ EPA/Landov

Originally published on September 23, 2013 3:45 pm

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who became a nationally known figure as he led his department's response to last April's bombings at the Boston Marathon, announced Monday that he's stepping down after seven years in the job.

"It's time for me to try other things," the 57-year-old Davis told reporters. Among the first opportunities he said he may take advantage of is a fellowship at Harvard.

The police chief said he expects to leave the department in the next 30 to 60 days. The timing, he joked, may be affected by how far the Boston Red Sox get in the Major League Baseball playoffs. If the Sox make it to the World Series, he said, he may just want to stick around through those games. Game 1 of the series is set to be played Oct. 23. If the series lasts seven games, the last wouldn't be until at least Oct. 31 (depending on weather, of course).

Davis' departure also roughly coincides with the end of Mayor Thomas Menino's time in office. The Democrat is not a candidate in the Nov. 5 mayoral election. Davis said that while it's logical for a commissioner to depart when a mayor leaves office, he wasn't concerned about whether Menino's successor would or would not want him to stay.

"A statement from Menino's office thanked Davis for his 'tremendous work over the past seven years' and promised to work with Davis to ensure a smooth transition when new mayor finds a permanent successor."

"There had been speculation that Davis would seek a more high-profile job following the Boston Marathon bombings, after his calm and reassuring response garnered him national praise. He also oversaw a 30 percent decrease in violent crime over his nearly seven years as commissioner, though at times there were spikes in the numbers of murders and shootings.

"In recent weeks, Davis had been mentioned among several potential candidates to lead the federal Department of Homeland Security. No one has yet been picked for that position."